Springing to Chicago – SkullCandy Ink’d Wireless Headphones
- Here we go… again (in more ways than one)
- Off to Heathrow
- Terminal 3 Oneworld Lounges (Cathay Pacific and American Airlines)
- AA87 London Heathrow T3 to Chicago O’Hare International
- The joy of US immigration
- Intercontinental Chicago – Magnificent Mile
- Travel Tech: Life with a Canon 50mm f1.2 (yes, it’s another walk around Chicago)
- Hyatt Regency O’Hare
- Travel Tech: SkullCandy Ink’d Wireless Headphones
- Airplane Art Special: From the Balcony of the Hyatt Regency O’Hare ** BONUS **
- Back to O’Hare, The British Airways Business Class lounge
- BA296 Chicago O’Hare to London Heathrow
- Delayed Arrivals and Homeward
- Short and Sweet
Time for more travel technology – this week, featuring wireless headphones.
I’ll be the first to admit I go through headphones faster than you can say “where the h*ck did I leave them last?”. So whilst audio quality is a priority, cost is a core importance if I Have to replace them every six months or so.
So, into today’s headphones – and I’m looking at SkullCandy Ink’d wireless headphones – the entry-level of the SkullCandy range.
Shown in fabulous red. They also come in White and Black. Why red? Why not? Also – more difficult to lose.
The headphones themselves
The follow the SkullCandy model of using a neck-band to connect the headphones, and having a section dedicated to USB charging and volume controls.
Connectivity
Connectivity is via Bluetooth – so any modern phone or laptop should work with the out of the box.
You get two sets of silicon ear tips – I went for the default ones as the small ones were way too small for me.
The sound: it’s Classic SkullCandy – heavy on the base, middling in the miss and passable with trebles. Depending on your music tastes will depend what you listen to.
One of my standard songs to test against is The Sterophonics “Handbags and Gladrags”… and it did well with it – I wasn’t disappointed in the sound
Another song that I tested against was Nightwish’s Amaranth – and whilst the headphones struggled a bit with the base, it delivered enjoy symphonic metal headbanging results
Finally, something that hits all three – The Pet Shop Boys version of “Go West”. It’s a song that can be challenging for headphones as Bases and trebles mix in nicely song. These headphones – whilst not doing the song full justice – will be enjoyable at 35,000ft
I also did some audio recording on these headphones, and found the microphone to actually work – which is a god start – with the sound clear.
Battery life is rated at 8 hours – which is passable enough for a transatlantic flight (although they will be flat. With the volume you have to crank out… I was nearer 7hours on a bluetooth connection with a full charge – and I had a enough battery to ignore people with in a taxi.
Noise isolation is a subjective thing – but to me, the earbuds killed a lot of the external noise from the plane. It’s no noise cancellation substitute – but it’s better than nothing when on a long haul flight (although I find the noise of a plane.. rather soothing to fall asleep to).
Cost: I paid £24 or so at Dixon’s Tax Free at London Heathrow Terminal 3. A bit on the expensive side I though.. until I checked my local HMV…
Maybe Dixon’s Tax Free isn’t that bad…
Pricing – it varies: Check Amazon (US) – starting at US$39.99 and Amazon (UK) starting at £29 to £43 as your starting points. Obviously, the cheaper the more agreeable to the wallet..
Overall
Whilst they do look cheap – there’s a lot to like in these budget headphones. No, they won’t set the bar on absolute audio quality. No, they won’t set the world on fire in terms of design. But for a simple set of wireless headphones when you’ve forgotten to pick a pair up – these are good value – producing a reasonable sound quality, as well as long-term use.
Just remember to charge them before extended use…
Next: Something Extra – An Airline Art Special from the Hyatt Regency O’Hare
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